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Collage
“Making predictions activates students’ prior knowledge about the text and helps them make connections between new information and what they already know.” (Teacher Vision) Additionally, when students make predictions they become engaged and invested in the material; they are excited and eager to see if they are right. Collage introduces a new concept to students in a way that will allow them to maintain engagement as they track predictions throughout a unit. It also provides the teacher an opportunity to monitor learning.
Materials: a digital collage (several images related to your new topic or unit of study), chart paper, paper, markers/highlighters, writing utensils
- Explain to students that you have created a collage of images about your new topic of study, but do not tell students the topic.
- Display the collage and provide students two minutes to quickly write what they see in the images.
- Have students use a marker to review their list and highlight words that are common to more than one image. Explain that these words represent patterns between the images.
- Allow students three to five minutes to work with a partner to compare lists and discuss potential connections between the photos.
- Have students share out to the whole group. Refrain from providing any specific details or confirming/denying any guesses.
- Provide an additional three to five minutes for partner pairs to develop a list of predictions about the topic and a list of questions they have about the pictures.
- Have students add their predictions and questions to chart paper that will remain displayed throughout the unit. As they confirm predictions and find answers to questions, students should continue to annotate the chart with revised predictions, answers to questions listed, and new question.
